Too Little Too Late Outtakes
by capitalab
Summary: Outtakes from the completed story, Too Little, Too Late.


TLTL Outtake:

_I woke up holding the girl of my dreams._

_And for ten seconds, I couldn't concentrate on anything other than my pounding headache. It must have been the alcohol. Or the Adderall__.__ Fuck, I didn't know. I couldn't think. My entire body ached and I didn't even want to imagine what Bella felt like._

_I realized I was about to be sick._

_Slowly, everything came rushing back to me. I lost my virginity last night. Or, at least, I think I did. Fuck. This was not good. I stumbled into the bathroom with barely enough time to spare. _Surely I hadn't_, I told myself. This had to be some sort of dream- a nightmare. But if we hadn't, Bella wouldn't be here. Her clothes wouldn't be scattered across my bathroom floor._

_Of all the fucked up turns my night could have taken..._

_It took ten minutes for me to peel myself up from the cold bathroom tile. I kept telling myself, at least it was her. I came so close to leaving the beach with Lauren. God, that would have been a disaster. I'd spent the past year and a half drooling over Isabella Swan. To give my virginity to anyone else would have been meaningless, but last night was definitely _not_ how I wanted it to happen._

_Nothing could compare to the feeling of her skin against mine. I'd fantasized about her so many times, but my imagination didn't do reality justice. Every feeling multiplied times a thousand. It was no wonder I lost my head. _

_I'd be lucky if Bella ever even talked to me again._

_I was fucked either way. Bella and I weren't going to work out. She had a scholarship to UCLA and I had my own plans. Even if she did forgive me for what I'd done, we'd never last. I couldn't join her in California and she didn't need to make sacrifices for me. I felt like the biggest douche for what I had done and even worse for what I was about to do, but what other choice did I have? We needed to cut our losses while we were ahead._

_Yeah, Edward. Good luck with that._

"_Bella," I whispered, softly shaking her awake. "Wake up, sweetheart."_

_I watched as she opened her sleepy eyes. Realization and panic washed over her face. She was still naked and with the exception of a pair of boxers I'd just thrown on, so was I. Bella grasped the sheets. "Oh my God."_

_I tried to maintain my cool. "Shh, don't worry. It's going to be okay. You're okay, Bella. You're safe. I just have to take you home before my dad realizes you're here, okay?"_

_I could see tears welling in her eyes. "Okay," she forced out._

_I kissed her forehead and ran my fingers through her chaotic hair. "I'm so fucking sorry," I cried. "Are you sore? Do you need anything? I think there's some Tylenol in my bathroom."_

"_I'm fine." I didn't believe her. "I just... Can you give me a minute?"_

_Reluctantly, I headed downstairs to give her some space. Much to my relief, my parents were no where in sight. My brother, on the other hand, watched television in the living room. Maybe I had a guilty conscious, but the smirk on his face didn't sit well with me. I wondered if he already knew._

_"Where are Mom and Dad?" I asked nervously._

_"Okay there, little bro? You look like you're about to shit yourself or something."_

_Translation: I looked like shit._

_"I'm fine," I fibbed. "Tired, that's all."_

_"Rough night?" he asked._

_"I suppose you could call it that." I suddenly remembered his date with Rosalie Hale. Typically, I could care less about my brother and his exploits. I just wanted to change the subject. "How was your date?"_

_He shrugged. "So, so. She gave me a blow job so it wasn't a total loss."_

_I thought I might puke again. How could he take that shit so lightly? Since the morning began, I'd ran through every possible scenario to see if I could make it work with Bella. Emmett could care less about an emotional connection. "That's gross, man."_

_"Gross? Eddie, blow jobs are fucking amazing."_

_"I'm sure they are," I said sarcastically. The memory of a drunk girl on her knees danced through my head. "Don't you ever feel bad using girls like that?"_

"_Eh," he said indecisively. "They usually know what they're getting themselves into."_

_Did they? Did Bella know what she was getting herself into when she came home with me last night? I highly doubted it. _

"_Are you sure you're okay? Your eyes are all red and shit."_

"_I'm fine," I repeated, even though I was not. There was a fucking girl in my bedroom; one who deserved far better than what I'd put her through. I hated this whole fucking situation, especially knowing it made me no better than my asshole older brother._

"_Whatever, man. Maybe you should try it sometime. You can't hold out for Bella Swan forever." And thanks to my lapse in judgement last night, I didn't have to._

_I still had no idea where my parents were when I headed back up to my room. Emmett followed me up the stairs. What the fuck did he want? I turned back towards him once we reached the top. "What, dude?"_

_He raised his eyebrow. "Jesus Christ, Ed. I'm just going back to bed."_

_Oh. Right._

_He mumbled something incoherent before disappeared into his room. I went back into mine. Bella, fully dressed, sat on the edge of my bed. For the time being, I knew I had a clear shot at getting her out of the house undetected._

"_Hey," I half-smiled. "Are you ready to go?"_

_Bella and I were mostly quiet as I drove. She didn't actually allow me to drop her off at her dad's house, saying it was far too risky. Instead, I pulled into the parking lot behind Forks' elementary school. She insisted it was close enough for her to walk the rest of the way. As if I didn't feel bad enough, the rain began to pick up._

_The rain, though, was the least of my concerns. With every passing moment, more worries flooded my conscious. I could only hope she was on some sort of birth control. She would have stopped me if she wasn't, right? I hoped so, but was far too ashamed to actually ask. _

_She hesitated. "Should we talk about last night?"_

"_My head hurts." I wasn't being totally dishonest. "Can we talk about it later?"_

_She awkwardly thanked me for the ride, and once again I was met with the urge to vomit. She was right. We needed to talk about last night. I needed to fucking... I don't even know. We both stalled. Neither of us knew what to say. I fought back tears when she finally opened the car door. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but they never came. At the last second, Bella leaned over the center console and placed a soft kiss onto my cheek. I felt like an asshole for not kissing her first, but quickly remembered why I shouldn't._

_I told myself to be like Emmett._

"_I'll call you," I promised. I wished._

_I lied._

My eyes flew open to reveal a dark bedroom.

It took me a few seconds to get my bearings. It was just a dream; a nightmare. Ten years had passed since the first time I woke up holding Bella; my first, my only. The mother of my babies, all _four_ of them, slept peacefully nestled against my chest. It was only then that I realized how tight my embrace was.

It was a wonder I hadn't squeezed her to death.

I loosened my grip, moving my right hand to smooth out her brunette hair.I fucking loved her hair. It flowed across my chest as if it were her pillow_, _and I remembered the way I ran my fingers through it all those years ago to assure her everything would be okay. I was right- everything did turn out okay... eventually. It was no wonder she had trouble letting go of me at night.

The feeling was mutual.

I lifted my head to place long, lingering kisses against her temple. I still couldn't believe we'd gotten to this point. After everything I'd done, and all of the things I hadn't, she still loved me. I wasn't just the asshole who knocked her up fresh out of high school. I was her lover, provider and protector. Most importantly, Bella was my best friend.

It was still hard to believe we had four kids... and a dog.

Bear began to whimper from his spot at the foot of our bed. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had nightmares. I nudged him with my foot, carefully putting a stop to his distress before he could wake Bella. Kristen's cold had kept her awake almost every night this week_._ I hoped both of my girls would finally get some rest tonight.

I wondered what the dog could possibly worry about. He had a pretty good life, aside from the occasional tormenting from the twins. Bear loved our babies, though, and he tolerated the abuse better than most. I decided, maybe he dreamt about the vacuum cleaner. The poor guy _hated_ that thing. I realized how stupid my train of thought was, but deciphering Bear and his dreams seemed a lot less complicated than dealing with my own.

"You okay, buddy?" I asked as he snapped awake.

Bear laid his head back down and sighed. I guess he didn't want to thinkabout his problems, either. Maybe we needed a distraction.

"Do you want to go outside?" I asked, and his head shot up again.

Very carefully, I peeled myself away from my wife. I used to spend a lot of my smoke breaks out on the back patio with Bear while we lived in Florida. Even though I had officially quit when the doctor put Bella on bed rest with EJ, I still ended up outside with him most of the time.

Forks was cold tonight. The rain came down hard, but Bear didn't seem to mind. This house had a bigger yard than our last, and a lot more trees. I loved it here... home. I knew Bella felt the same way.

After a few more minutes, Bear decided it was time to head back indoors. I'm not sure why, but I felt an overwhelming desire to check on my kids. Seth and EJ each had their own room, while Keaton and Kristen shared. We had four bedrooms here, and Dad promised to help me finish the basement for Seth when the twins needed their own space in a few years.

The first room I approached was illuminated by the glow of the television. He'd fallen asleep with it on, again. I grabbed the remote from beside him and hit the power button.

_Seth._

I owed my entire fucking life to that boy. I didn't play favorites, but if I did, it would be Seth. He had no idea how much he meant to me. If not for him, none of this would exist. His mom would've gone off to California and probably would have met someone else. Conceiving him brought us together. It was the most irresponsible decision I've ever made, but also the best. Her decision to keep him meant we would always be in each other's lives, even if I did try to fight it. The day I decided to do right by him, everything came together.

I wish there was some way I could make him see that.

When it started, we thought it would pass. Brothers got jealous, right? Emmett and I fought all the time when we were growing up. A little sibling rivalry never hurt anyone, but Seth took it to an extreme. As far as he was concerned, _Edward Junior_ was the favorite. He saw EJ as the reason Bella and I had gotten back together; the deciding factor for why we married. It was anything but the truth, but how was he supposed to know the difference?

Bella's biggest fear had always been that Seth would feel like the odd one out. It was the reason why she never dated, and never wanted kids with anyone else. We thought we'd never have to worry about it.

We thought wrong.

He remembered being Seth Tyler Swan. When I brought Lauren to his fifth birthday party, he remembered her as my girlfriend. And when Jake told him to call me Edward, he remembered that, too. Charlie talking shit about me, Bella moving him to Florida... it was all coming back to haunt us.

Tanya Denali once told my son that lots of guys had green eyes.

Of course, it didn't help that EJ looked _exactly_ like me.

I'm not sure which was worse: Seth thinking I wasn't his real dad, or having to explain to him that I actually was. Last night, Mom and Dad had invited us over for dinner. Emmett and Rosalie showed up with their bunch, too, but as usual, my three year old insisted on sitting next to his older brother.

"_EJ, get away from me!" Seth screeched. "I'm sitting next to Henry."_

_I sighed, not thinking much of it. "Seth, be nice to Anthony."_

_He groaned, "But I want to sit next to cousin Henry!"_

"_So sit next to Henry. Your brother can sit on the other side." _

"_No!" he protested._

_Of all the times for him to be like this, why did it have to happen in front of the entire family?_

"_Seth Tyler," Bella chimed in. "Either let your brother sit next to you, or you can sit next to your dad."_

_My nine year old thought for a few seconds before looking at me rebelliously. "Edward probably isn't my real dad anyway."_

_The room went totally silent. Every adult in the room gaped at him with an open jaw. Not even the twins made a sound._

"_Excuse me?" Bella asked._

_He looked straight at_ me. _"Remember what Dad_'s_ coworker said that one time? Mom's probably just a sucker for guys with green eyes."_

_I looked at my wife, and back at my son._

My _son._

_No one said a word._

_I cleared my throat as it began to feel tight. Bella looked as if she might tear up at any moment. Before anyone could say anything, Seth ran from the dining room. His mother got up to follow him. I stopped her. "No, let me do it."_

_I found him hiding upstairs in my former bedroom._

"_I'm s-s-s-sorry," he stuttered out._

_I came in and sat down on the bed. He launched himself into my arms._

"_Seth," I sighed, holding him close. "Son," I repeated, hoping he'd know it to be true._

_He sobbed. "I didn't mean it, Dad! I'll go down and apologize to Mom and sit next to EJ if you want me to. Please, don't be mad at me!"_

_I questioned, "Mad? Seth, I'm not mad, but we have to talk about this. Why did you say that?"_

"_Because it's true," he sniffled. After a few seconds, Seth began to doubt himself. "Isn't it?"_

"_No!" I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the thought. "Where did you ever get that idea?"_

_He shrugged as another sob rocked his body. "You and Mom weren't married."_

_I saw no need to lie. "You're right. We weren't."_

"_But you're married now. And my last name was Swan. And I remember Tanya telling Mom..."_

_I cut him off, "Tanya was jealous Mom gave me another chance."_

_It had been over four years and Tanya was still a fucking thorn in my side._

"_Another chance?" he questioned._

_I took a deep, deep breath. It was time for the conversation every parent wished they could avoid forever. "Seth, what do you know about sex?"_

_He shrugged. "Just what they talk about on the bus."_

_The bus? "What do they say?"_

_He proceeded to tell me, in very graphic detail, how babies were made. I couldn't believe he actually heard this shit on the way home from_ _school_._ I would be damned if I ever let Kristen ride the thing._

One kid at a time, Edward.

"_So is that really how babies are made?" he asked._

_I was still speechless. "Uh, yeah. It is."_

_Bella had been right. I'd waited way too long to have this talk with him._

"_I was sixteen when I met your Mom..."_

_I went on to tell him, in great detail, about the first time I saw Bella; how she had just moved from Arizona to live with Charlie, and the biology class we shared together. I told him how it felt to fall in love, especially knowing half of the other boys at school felt the same way I did. I remembered wanting to protect her from anyone and everyone. _

_I asked him if he knew his mom almost moved to California. Obviously, he had no idea. I described the bittersweet feeling; knowing it meant nothing could ever happen between us, but excited for what it meant for her. I left out a few of my inferior moments, like the night I got hammered with Jasper in the field behind her house, and all of the pill popping and pot smoking I did. Finally, we came to graduation._

"_Sex is something I never want you to take lightly, son," I told him. "It should only be done by two adults who truly love each other and know the consequences." I felt like a robot as I said it. I sounded like my own father, giving a mechanical speech and hoping for the best._

"_Like having a baby?" he asked._

"_It only takes one time," I said. "I should know."_

_I walked over to my closet and found an old photo album. It had been left here when we moved to Florida._

"_Have you ever seen these pictures?" I asked._

_He shook his head no._

_We flipped through them together. My graduation photo. My senior pictures. Bella and I in biology. The picture Tyler Crowley had given me of the two of us leaving the beach. Seth's first sonogram. Bella's pregnant stomach. The two of us at my parents' Christmas, three weeks before she went into premature labor._

_Finally, a scared shitless nineteen year old holding his newborn son._

_Seth and me._

"_That's me?" he asked in shock._

"_Me and you. And look-" I pointed to Carlisle. "There's my dad."_

_Bella didn't like to keep these pictures around. She didn't like to see her son, so small and fragile. And honestly, I think it bothered her that she wasn't in most of these pictures._

_My dad and I took them when we thought he wasn't going to make it._

"_I'm so sorry, Seth," I cried. I knew I wasn't getting parent of the year for looking like a pussy in front of my son, but what else was new? "I wasn't ready to be a dad. I was so scared. I loved you so much, but I didn't know what to do. I thought it would be easier to run, but it wasn't."_

_Through my own sobs, I heard hers. I looked up to see Bella standing in the door frame. She rushed over and kissed me with more than enough passion to demonstrate a point._

_She forgave his father, and hoped he could too._

The sound of a clock in the living room brought me back to the present. It chimed three times, and I kissed Seth's forehead. "You really are my favorite," I whispered before heading to the next room.

Edward Anthony Cullen, Junior.

Daddy's little namesake. He was already three and a half, and it still felt surreal. I sat at the foot of his Lightning McQueen race car bed remembering the day Bella told me she was pregnant. I couldn't help but laugh at how we called him Bathroom Floor Baby for the first five months of Bella's pregnancy. I sincerely didn't mean to knock her up. It just happened.

I was so glad it did. Attending every appointment and watching Bella's stomach swell turned out to be the most rewarding therapy I could have ever asked for. As much as it terrified me when the doctor put her on bed rest, I loved taking care of her. It felt good to be responsible for everything; for paying the bills, for Seth and for her. I'd dodged so much of the bullet up until that point, and EJ gave me the perfect opportunity to redeem myself.

I remembered changing his diaper for the first time. It seemed like just yesterday, when we first brought him home from the hospital. I knew I wasn't a perfect dad; not by a long shot. I sure as fuck tried, though.

"_Shhhh," I whispered to Seth. "Momma's taking a nap."_

"_Okay," Seth whispered back. Bella had just gone to bed, leaving me unattended with the boys._

_She had been reluctant at first, insisting on staying awake. It was only three in the afternoon, and she thought she could make it through the rest of the day. The woman was delusional. I don't know what kind of pain killers they gave her, but they must have been good. She could barely keep her eyes open._

_Then again, I was pretty exhausted too._

"_Can we watch Cartoon Network?" Seth asked._

"_As long as we keep the volume down."_

_I sat there with Seth, holding his tiny baby brother for a good thirty minutes without any issues. It felt good getting a second chance at the whole dad thing, even if I was scared of breaking the little guy. I dealt with babies at work from time to time, but EJ was different. He was mine._

_My son started to cry._

"_Hey, hey," I shushed. "It's okay, Anthony."_

_Seth looked at me quizzically. "What's wrong with him, Daddy?"_

_I went for the obvious. "He's probably just hungry."_

_Luckily, Bella pumped before she went to sleep. "Do you want to feed him?" I asked._

_A few minutes later, I had Seth set up on the couch with a bottle. I watched proudly as my son tended to his baby brother. It felt good knowing I had this dad thing under control. Seth handed EJ back over to me when he was ready to be burped, and we got back to watching Ed, Edd n' Eddy._

_Fifteen minutes later, the baby started crying again._

_Seth wore a look of shock. "Anthony, you just ate!" he said._

_I laughed, "I don't think he's hungry this time, buddy."_

_The loud rumble emanating from his backside told us he definitely wasn't hungry. _

_Seth looked at me. "Dad, was that you?"_

_I was quick to defend myself. "No!"_

_The fussing didn't stop. After a few minutes, I realized I was either going to have to wake up Bella or take matters into my own hands._

_No big deal, right? I was a nurse. I took care of people for a living. Changing a diaper was one of the easiest aspects of my job. I didn't need Bella. I could probably even do it one handed. Hell, even Seth could change a fucking diaper if he tried. "Looks like your little brother needs a diaper change."_

_He raised his eyebrow. "Have you ever done that before?"_

"_Well, yeah," I replied._

_I knew he didn't believe me. "Who's?"_

_I scoffed. "Yours, silly." Honestly, though, I could count the number of times I'd changed Seth on one hand. "Watch and learn." _

_I began to go through the steps._

_The couch seemed as good of a place to change him as any other. I asked Seth to grab his diaper bag for me, and grabbed the small pad to protect it from accidents._

"_Step one: damage control," I said, laying the pad down, and then EJ. I proceeded to explain that babies were ticking time bombs. You never knew when they were going to explode. _

_My six year old looked at me like I was an idiot._

"_Which brings me to step two." I grabbed the clean diaper. "Think ahead."_

_I compared EJ to a loaded super soaker. My biggest concern was that he would pull the trigger. The last thing I needed was for Seth to watch his little brother unload on me. I'd never hear the end of it. With everything I needed, I unlatched the diaper._

_It was bad. _Bad_. I began to gag, unable to keep my composure. Seth laughed._

"_Go get a plastic bag," I told him. Shit. I'd forgotten that step._

_He happily left the scene and I cleaned EJ up as fast as humanly possible, slapping the new diaper on in a matter of seconds. Much to Seth's disappointment, his little brother didn't pee on me. I didn't suck at fatherhood nearly as much as either of us thought, and I felt a sense of accomplishment knowing I'd proven my six year old wrong._

_Like I said, I was a pro... or so I thought._

"_Uhm, Daddy," Bella asked after she woke up later that afternoon. "Why is EJ's diaper on backwards?"_

"I love you, EJ," I whispered in the dark bedroom. He slept heavy, but his favorite stuffed animal had fallen onto the floor. I picked it up and tucked it under his arms, giving him a quick peck on the cheek afterwards. "Don't tell anyone, but you're my favorite."

Keaton and Kristen shared the room closest to the master bedroom. When we moved home, they were only six weeks old and still slept in our room. It was hard to believe that was already over a year ago. These days, they spent almost every night in their own room but we still trudged the path to their shared space almost every single night. It seemed like there was always something going on with one twin or the other.

I sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room and listened to the soft rhythm of their breathing patterns. Kristen had been sick, but she sounded a little better tonight. Fuck, I hoped she didn't develop asthma. Controlling Seth's had been hard enough. I never knew I could worry as much as I did about my little angel. She'd been a daddy's girl from day- clearly the favorite.

"_Oh my gosh," Tanya screeched. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"_

_She jumped up from behind the nurses' station and rushed towards me. Of course, all of the weight she'd put on slowed her down quite a bit. I almost considered making a run for it. Alice would understand, right? It's not like I actually needed to interview for the job anyway. The position was already mine; we were just following procedure. If I thought for one second that I wasn't a shoo-in, I might have at least dressed up. _

_And I probably would have left my daughter at home. _

_Luckily, I didn't. The baby carrier and Tanya's pudge were the only thing preventing us from a full-on hug. "I'm so happy you're finally back!"_

"_Thanks," I replied, trying to be polite. "Bella and I are really happy to be home."_

"_Oh, Eddie," she gushed, putting her grubby paws all over my baby girl. Kristen started to fuss but Tanya didn't seem to care. "She's so beautiful!"_

_I glanced down at my sleepy seven week old daughter. She already looked so much like my wife, and the irony of Tanya's words did not escape me. "Isn't she?" I smiled, setting the carrier down and pulling her into my arms. Kristen calmed down almost immediately. She loved her daddy._

_Tanya cradled her massive stomach. I knew she was pregnant. Alice had mentioned it a few times, saying the condition hadn't treated her well. And she was right; Tanya looked like shit and I wondered if the unlucky father had gone running for the hills yet. "I'm due next month," she told me._

_I offered a half-sincere congratulations, hoping it meant she'd finally leave me alone. She didn't. I soon had all of the details, even the ones I didn't want. It was a boy, and his father was from La Push. She told me how the pregnancy made her extremely insatiable and that she couldn't stop thinking about sex. _

"_Bella must be so exhausted from the babies." _

_She was, but I knew better than to tell Tanya that. I could read between the lines well enough to know her comment was anything but innocent. The obvious was confirmed when she brushed my arm with her fingers. The contact gave me the worst deja vu. I pulled back immediately, but it didn't seem to phase her. "So how are you, Eddie?"_

_"Exhausted." _

_Between the twins, the move, EJ's terrible twos and Bella's all clear for sex, I'd hardly gotten any sleep._

_All totally worth it, by the way._

_It was almost laughable, the way Tanya still thought she had a chance. My life was finally perfect, and I had no intentions of fucking that up again. Bella would always be my only. Always._

_Alice cleared her throat behind us, signaling to me that she'd been standing there the entire time. "Let's go, Eddie," she mimicked. "You're late for your interview."_

_Tanya shot me a sympathetic look; one she meant to be flirtatious and seductive. She knew how much Alice and I hated each other. Or, at least, she thought she did. But as soon as we were behind closed doors, the two of us started cracking up._

"_Oh, Eddie," Alice said dramatically. She reached for her goddaughter and I hesitantly passed over my baby girl. "Looks like Bella owes me twenty bucks."_

_Right. They took bets to see how long Tanya could go without hitting on me. "That's so messed up," I said._

_Very reluctantly, I opened my wallet and threw a twenty onto her desk. "Ohhh, pay attention, Kris," she teased. "See how easy it is to get money from your daddy?"_

_I groaned. "Don't encourage her."_

_"it's too late, anyway. You already spoil her."_

_There were no arguments there. "What can I say?"_

_Alice spoke softly as she held my daughter inches from her face. "What do you think, princess? Should I give Daddy a job? Yeah?" Alice pretended as if the baby whispered something into her ear. __"__Oh, don't worry, sweetie. I'll keep him far away from the scary lady." She looked at me and took on a more serious tone. "Surgery and recovery okay with you?"_

_"Really?" I asked. "You're not sending me back to the ER?"_

_"God, no," she retorted. "I think I'll spare you."_

_"Thank you," I said sincerely._

_"Yeah, as far as I'm concerned, you won't have to worry about Tanya for another sixteen years or so."_

_"Why only sixteen years?"_

_"Edward," Alice laughed, "You did hear her when she told you she was having a boy, right?"_

Keaton.

Thank fucking god for Keaton. Our baby... Daddy's little body guard. I'd like to see anyone even try to mess with his sister. We had an understanding, me and my son. He was my inside man; the only one I could count on to know exactly what was going on with Kristen at all times. Bella thought it was ridiculous, considering they were only a year old, but I didn't care. I wasn't taking any chances. We were enrolling him in karate as soon as he was old enough.

It only made sense for him to be the favorite.

"_Time for cake!" my mom announced. Bella and I rounded up the twins and strapped them into their high chairs. Each baby got their own cupcake, loaded with far more icing than necessary and piped with the prestigious number one. The only difference between the two were color; Kristen's was pink, Keaton's blue._

_I lit the lone candle on each cupcake, keeping them just out of reach from the babies. "Happy birthday to you," I began._

_Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and their brothers joined in. Bella and I smiled at each other as the song ended, each helping a twin to blow out their birthday candle. I felt an overwhelming need to kiss the mother of my babies. After all, her face was inches from mine. She looked so goddamn sexy today; so happy. And I was fucking elated._

_Besides, her lips were already puckered for me._

_Mine met hers and instantly, I wanted more. One kiss wasn't enough. Neither were two. I held her face in my hands and began to suck on her bottom lip, shyly pushing my tongue further each time. Distantly, I heard Charlie clear his throat. Apparently, he still didn't want to see the way I stuck my tongue down his daughter's. I gave Bella a few final pecks before finally pulling away. Seth rolled his eyes and we watched as the twins discovered sugar for the first time._

_It was so fucking adorable, the way they wore their icing like war paint. The excitement was too much, and they both blabbered on in their own little language. Keaton's cupcake was almost gone within a matter of minutes. Kristen, on the other hand, was far more reserved with her treat. _

_That is, until it fell on the ground._

_I watched as my baby girl's lips quivered and she began to cry. Everyone let out a sympathetic aw as Bear cleaned the cake up off the floor in a matter of seconds. Keaton looked on with curiosity and concern. He took one final bite of his cupcake before offering the rest to his sister._

"What are you doing awake?" Bella whispered, pulling me from my internal ramblings. She walked into the twins room and stopped a few feet short of me.

"Couldn't sleep," I shrugged. I didn't want to tell her about my dream. "Thought I'd check on the kids. Did I wake you up?"

She walked forward a little further and crawled into my lap. "You know I can't sleep without you."

My lips brushed against hers. "I know."

"Are you still thinking about what Seth said?"

"Sort of," I answered vaguely.

After a few minutes of silence, she stood up. "Come on, honey. Let's go back to bed."

I followed her, hand in hand, back into our bedroom. Now that she was awake, my mind drifted to all of the different things we could do to wear ourselves out again. I knew it was a long shot, but sex was always at the forefront of my mind. Bella was usually too tired from the kids. We made it a point to be intimate at least twice a week, but it was never enough for my dick. I couldn't help it. My wife was just as sexy today as she was ten years ago, and I loved the way she looked when she wore my t-shirt to bed.

She locked the door behind us.

My face lit up with a cheesy smile. "God, you're my favorite."

She knew better. "You tell everyone that."

I begged to differ. "No, not everyone."

Bear shot me a glare from his reclaimed spot at the foot of the bed. Immediately, I felt guilty.

"Edward!" Bella giggled, "For the last time, Bear is a dog!"

"You really are my favorite, though," I whispered softly into her ear, trailing kisses down her jawline. My hands moved to rest on the small of her back. She brought her arms around my neck.

She pulled back and shook her head. A smile teased her lips. "I don't think I believe you."

"No?" I smirked. "Maybe I should prove it."

"I'd like to see you try."

Happily, I accepted her challenge. My dick was already hard as a rock when I lifted her into my arms. Her legs wrapped around my hips, and I could feel the heat radiating from her center. My lips attached themselves to hers and I rushed us over to our bed, pushing Bear onto the floor as we slipped beneath the sheets.

Bella tugged at my mesh basketball shorts and grabbed my dick as it sprung free. A moan escaped my lips, and for a moment I lost all concentration. My wife gave fuck awesome hand jobs, but tonight wasn't about that. I was supposed to be proving something to her.

I think.

"Bella," I hissed. I kicked my shorts all the way off and tore off her t-shirt. She never wore a bra to bed and I loved the look and feel of her bare chest. My fingers slid under her panties as I took her nipple between my lips.

She was so fucking turned on.

I loved that about my wife. Jasper and Emmett always bitched about how hard it was for them to get their wives aroused. Not me. I dipped one finger deep into her core, and added another. My thumb brushed over her clit just long enough to tease her before I pulled my hand away and finished removing the rest of her clothes.

Since she was already so wet for me, I didn't bother with any more foreplay. Four years of marriage had taught me a thing or two about Bella's body, and I was confident I could get her off with my dick. Besides, it was, like, three o'clock in the morning and I really was tired. Gently, I filled her with one fluid motion and soon, she was countering my thrusts with her own. We maintained a steady pace- not too hard or too soft. When she tightened her grip on my shoulder blades, I knew I was doing something right.

Her breathing became erratic and she begged me to go deeper.

The way she throbbed with pleasure sent me right over the edge, too. I couldn't help it. Our bodies were in perfect harmony; always responding to the other. So maybe that was a lie. The truth of the matter was that Bella's body _still_ drove me fucking insane, and I couldn't have held off my orgasm any longer if I tried.

I placed a few more kisses along her collar bone before pulling out. Bella went into the bathroom to clean up and I retrieved a clean pair of boxers. When we finally settled back into bed, she closed her eyes and spoke softly. "You're _my_ favorite."

And soon after, I fell asleep holding the girl of my dreams.


End file.
